Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Graphic Diaspora: Reframing Narratives Of American Identity In Black Comic Books, Ashley Wilson

ETD Archive

Comic books with Black main characters have been the subject of much critical exploration over the years. Typical analyses of these comics have focused on identity politics and representation of Black characters. However, critical discussion has not yet determined a method for interpreting representation of Black characters within comic books. This study incorporates approaches to reading Black expressive texts, caricature, and narratives of Black characters written by white authors to analyze the comic books All Negro Comics, The Black Panther, Black, and Bayou. Additionally, it argues that Black-authored Black comics require a reframing of the text through an African American …